In the discussion of corporate culture in a new business, several cultural elements are used to describe "terrible" cultures. Cynicism is one of the elements of a terrible culture. According to the video, cynicism develops in an organization when its leaders fail to live to the values they articulate. Cynicism breeds a bad attitude in the workplace, which tends to spread to other employees. The negativity of one employee can affect the culture if an entire team. Another element of terrible cultures described in the video is lack of accountability. According to the video, culture in which employees are not held accountable achieve little or nothing significant. The lack of accountability is caused by the failure to define goals, timelines, and objectives. Additionally, it is caused by giving employees no autonomy. When employees feel that they are not empowered to make a decision, they are more likely to shun responsibility.
Employees who do not fit into the organization is another element of a terrible culture. Employees whose values are not aligned with the organizational values can create problems in the organization leading to a terrible culture (Peterson, 2010). The lack of alignment between individual values and organizational values means that the employee would not support organizational goals and objectives. A culture clash between an employee and the organization leads to a terrible culture. Although politics are common in organizations, it is an element of a terrible culture within an organization. Politics are necessary for decision making and interaction between employees, but when it is used to undermine other employees, it creates an organizational culture. Disruptive politics undermine the development of trust among employees. Additionally, highly political cultures are bad for the organization because they affect discussion and implementation of policies. It also distracts employees from their core mandates. Competition is also another element of a terrible culture. Unhealthy competition in the workplace creates a toxic environment that stresses employees and diminishes their productivity. If workplace competition is not checked, it can pit employees against one another.
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The unhealthy competition also put pressure on employees to improve. It also contributes to employee reluctance to share information with colleagues, which undermine steam work. Additionally, unhealthy competition is harmful to an organization because it can increase uncertainty. When employees are not uncertain about their future, they are not motivated to increase their productivity. Unhealthy competition is also a source of distraction. Instead of focusing on their work, employees will be interested in upstaging one another. Finally, instability is another element of a terrible culture. Unstable cultures are those lacking firm core values and norms. The organization's values keep changing according to circumstance. In such cultures, employees are not certain of the organization's core values and are more likely to deviate from them.
The video offers a discussion on the Alignment of values with organizational groups. According to the video, alignment of values with organizational groups comprises two paths. First, the values espoused by the organization should be compatible with strategic objectives. For example, organizations that value stability should not be setting objectives around the futures market. Secondly, individual behaviors should be consistent with the values espoused by the organization. A group that values responsiveness should not shun request by diverting responsibility. Most organizations emphasize strategies and spend significant effort in defining objectives and goals. Few organizations invest in defining the cultural path to be taken regarding value statements. Additionally, they make a limited effort in ensuring that strategies and values are compatible or employee behavior represent espoused values. The video compared organizational values with organizational goals. The realization of organizational goals depends on the communication of relevant values and ensuring that behavior in the organization mirrors the values. Aligning the organization with group values is beneficial to an organization. First, alignment of values is important during change processes because it minimizes resistance to change (Peterson, 2010). When the values of the organization are aligned with individual values, employees are less likely to resist change processes. The values espoused by the organization become the guiding principles during the turbulent change period. Employees are less likely to change behavior that they perceive as part of the organization's culture. However, if the new behavior is compatible with essential values in the organization, they will adopt the changes.
Therefore, value alignment enables organizations to be more responsive to market changes. Since objectives are inspirational and memorable, they capture the essence of the organization. Organizations can have a great culture and clear values by having clear, and understandable objectives. It refers to the way an organization does business. Without objectives, an organization cannot realize its mission. Since objectives permeate the entire organization, it represents what the organization stands for. Setting and articulating objectives is a powerful way of creating organizational culture. Employees are only responsible for developing and implementing a strategy, but objectives guide the strategy.
A statement used to describe organizational objectives is "capturing the essence" (Peterson, 2010). The vision, mission, core values, strategies, and objectives capture the essence of an organization's culture. The objectives of an organization offer specific milestones with a specific timeline for the realization of that goal. Goals are general statements of what an organization seeks to achieve, but objectives describe what is going to be achieved and when it will be realized. Therefore, the objectives of an organization capture its essence. Effective organizational objectives should be measurable, suitable, feasible, and should generate commitment and ownership (Peterson, 2010). Objectives provide the guidance that organization must achieve to realize its mission. Therefore, objectives represent the essence of the organization. Successful organizations such as Walmart, Hewlett-Packard have powerful objectives that represent the organizations' strategic direction.
The video offers several principles of group dynamics. It discusses group norms, which are the values that determine behaviors within the group. Norms help members to determine behaviors that are acceptable. Additionally, norms help group members to function as a system. Values is another principle of group dynamics. They are the accepted standards of group members. Values such as integrity and honesty are some of the values shared by groups. Another group dynamic values conflict. Value conflict occurs when group members do not share the values of the group. Their behaviors are contrary to the values espoused by the group. Value conflicts may occur when the values of stakeholder conflicts with the values of employees. Conflicts provide employees with opportunities to deliver a powerful message about their values.
Value congruence is another group dynamic. It refers to the compatibility of individual values with group values. Congruence occurs when individual values coincide with the value system of the group. Congruence produces beneficial outcomes such as identification with the organization and job satisfaction.
Reference
Peterson, J. (2010). Organizational Culture . Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxeWqlq2Tw&feature=youtu.be
